Student Vote To Clean Up Language In Constitution
By Donna Kirker
The Capitol Campus Student Govern
ment Association (SGA) has some
housecleaning to do, but they can't do it
without student participation.
On Oct. 9, students will not only be ask
ed to elect their junior senators, but also
vote on a cleaned-up version of the SGA
Constitution.
According to SGA President Tom
Halley, the new constitution is almost ex
actly the same as the old, but with an up
dated format style.
Halley explained the old constitution
was "much more formal." He said the
old was "written in the style of the U.S.
Constitution," and that it was very "hard
to go through and pick out the things they
needed to know."
Merger Means Better Social Plan
by Pat Wenger
Social activities won't be competing
with one another this year thanks to a
merger of two—often conflicting
organizations.
Until this term, campus social events
have been planned by two separate
organizations. The Student Government
Association (SGA) Social Committee has
been organizing activities for all campus
involvement , while the Meade Heights
Board of Governors (MHBOG) has spon
sored social events only for campus
residents.
Because of the two separate planning
The new constitution has "taken out
some of the unnecessary jargon," Halley
explained, and "it has been put into a
step by step format making it easier to
read with easier references."
Another syntactical change would in
volve changing the "terms" in the con
stitution to match the new semester
schedule. Halley explained the old con
stitution will not be workable under the
new semester schedule.
Beyond the basic format changes,
there is one change that will effect the
students directly, the student body elec
tion date.
While the old constitution requires SGA
elections to be held exactly in the fourth
week of the fall term, the new constitu
tion would allow some flexibility in
groups, there has been a problem with
conflicting dates. Frequently, both
organizations sponsored activities for the
same evening but at separate places on
campus. This led to smaller groups at
tending each function, and sometimes
there were insufficient participants at an
event to make it seem worthwhile.
That changed thanks to a proposal
from Pat Murphey, Coordinator of the
Residents' Living Program. Now there is
one organization charged with planning
these events, the newly created Student
Union Board of Governors (SUBOG).
According to Edward Palmer, Resi-
deciding when the elections will be held.
Halley explains this gives the SGA the
time to build student interest and par
ticipation within their own organization.
It will also give the SGA the flexibility to
"choose the best week for the election,
taking into consideration the week's
schedule of events" on Capitol Campus.
Halley believes this change could only
benefit the students and increase voter
turnout, interest and participation.
Other than the election date revision,
the new constitution involved only up
dating an archaic manuscript to fit the
needs of this year's and future Student
Government Association. However,
without student participation the new
constitution cannot be enacted.
Halley explained that the revised con-
Stamberg Urges:
Sharing Experiences
by Judith A. Faruquee
"News never changes," a wise jour
nalist once remarked, "it just happens to
different people" repeated Susan
Stamberg on Wednesday Sept. 30 to an
enthusiastic audience of nearly 500 who
attended the Capitol Campus Lecture
Series.
Guest lecturer, Susan Stamberg co
host of the National Public Radio Pro
gram "All Things Considered" warmed
up her audience by her opening remarks,
"Experience is never complete until we
have shared it." As she related her climb
up the ladder of success we discovered
her directness and honesty. Admittedly
she wants to put people at ease, she
wants to help listeners retain that fragile
touch of humanity.
She recalled her early days as a profes
sional communicator, "It is a wonderful
field for a woman...it is so portable." She
related how the microphone helped her
overcome her shyness. She spoke of her
own energy charged personality and how
it helped spark up a less exuberant guest.
That is a modest assessment from a
woman who has 18 years of radio ex
perience behind her, has won the 1980 Ed
ward R. Murrow Award, has since 1971
co-hosted "All Things Considered," the
program that was awarded the George
Foster Peabody Award and the Alfred I.
duPont-Columbia University Award, and
whose first book, published this spring
"Every Night at Five: Susan Stamberg's
All Things Considered Book" is a best
seller.
dent Assistant, "This organization will
carry on the current programs of the
social committee while absorbing the
major activities once sponsored by
MHBOG. The former MHBOG has
become the Meade Heights Community
Council with the primary function of
hearing the concerns of Meade Heights
residents, but still maintaining its tradi
tional programs such as road rallies, tail
gate parties and the Thanksgiving Com
munal Dinner."
"The governing body of the SUBOG
will be just as it says, a board of gover
nors" stated Jamie Cole, former social
stitution came for a vote last spring, but
less than 10 percent of the students voted
on it. Without at least 10 percent of the
voting the constitution cannot be legally
instituted.
Halley urged everyone to vote "yes" or
"no" on the new constitution. To be eligi
ble voters must be full-time
undergraduate or graduate students at
Capitol Campus. Tables will be set up in
the main building all day on October 9th.
Just a simple "yes" or "no" vote, and
possibly five minutes of your time, may
help clean up an old manuscript and help
the student government operate more ef
ficiently.
For a leek if the new centtiatkin, au PIP at
"All Things Considered" gets its
special appeal from the manner which
Susan Stamberg approaches reporting.
According to Stamberg, she sees the job
as "creating order out of chaos and on
bad days, chaos out of order."
Stamberg brings the most important
things to the listener, the stories that are
going to make a difference today, tomor
row and even next year. Says Stamberg,
"I think people are interested in things
behind the scene. I like to report things
warm and universal, to bring listeners
together."
In pinpointing some things wrong with
the quick-paced, fast-shrinking world,'
Stamberg cited that we are being over in
formed by the constant bombardment of
news and advertisement on T.V. and
radio, and how impossible it would be to
react to everything. She said, "There's
not enough in a person to be able to em
phathize with all the news. It's a simple
matter of self-preservation." She ex
plained how some tune it all out and
choose to be uninformed which though ef
fective, is dangerous.
On the other hand, some media give
equal weight to everything whether an
assassination attempt, sports event or
the little guy floating around your toilet
tank in a boat. "That," says Stamberg,
"is even more dangerous."
Her advice was to "slow down the flow
of information, selectively isolate
ourselves (from too much information)
and really think about what we do hear
and see.
committee chairman. Also serving the
SUBOG are Bob "Sparky" Sharkey and
Joe Fust, co-presidents, Ed Palmer
assisting Jamie Cole as co-chairman and
Glen Ziegler, treasurer.
It has been suggested that the Student
Center, which will undergo major
renovations, be renamed the Student
Union Building to give the new organiza
tion a meeting place and to also give
students the feeling that a major change
has taken place to benefit student ac
tivities.
Palmer concluded saying, "Through
all of this reorganization, it is hoped a
better, more comprehensive and exciting
social program will be available to all
students of Capitol Campus."